With playoff spots at stake, Ohio St beats Michigan in 2OT

Assuming Ohio State is in the playoff, that means the Rose Bowl would choose between Wisconsin or Penn State – the victor of the Big Ten title game or MI.

The beginning of the game was dominated by Michigan’s defense, as Ohio State almost finished the third quarter trailing 17-7.

MI turned an Ohio State missed opportunity on special teams into a touchdown and a 17-7 lead with 6:37 to play in the third quarter.

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer tried to put that in perspective afterward, but the reality is the Buckeyes improved to 11-1 and could get to the College Football Playoff without going to the Big Ten championship game.

Somehow, despite being outplayed by the Wolverines for much of the game and missing two field goals, the Buckeyes clawed back for a thrilling victory over their hated rivals on Saturday afternoon.

Being part of the turnaround has been gratifying for Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, who was part of only one win over MI as a player in the early 1990s but has helped coach the Buckeyes to 13 victories against the Wolverines since he became an assistant coach in Columbus in 2002.

Ohio State rallied from a 17-7 second-half deficit, as its defense held firm while the offense struggled and then sparked the comeback with an interception by Jerome Baker that set up a Mike Weber touchdown for the Buckeyes’ first offensive score of the game. The Western Michigan coach could end up in West Lafayette, Indiana, but no deal is being struck before the unbeaten Broncos play the MAC title game. Could Ohio State get a playoff spot and Penn State be left out-even if the Nittany Lions win the Big Ten title and had beaten the Buckeyes in the regular season?

The sophomore linebacker for the Ohio State wasn’t the only person who said those words, whether it be in the immediate minutes of the Buckeyes’ thrilling 30-27 double-overtime win over visiting MI or upon getting home and stretching out on the couch before the magnitude of the moment hit them.

Until Ohio State’s defense made the biggest play. I thought the game was over. The Sugar Bowl gets the highest ranked SEC team after Alabama and you can’t make a good argument for any of them.

The Buckeyes are likely headed to their second Playoff under Meyer, who guided them to the national championship in the inaugural event two years ago.

Samuel carried the ball on a play Meyer called ’29 lead, ‘ and the rest will go down in Buckeye history.

There must be something about the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines rivalry in the sixth year of the decade during this century.

Oh wait, the Buckeyes missed TWO chip shots in regulation.

Michigan’s defensive line frustrated Ohio State for most of the game. Wisconsin, Penn State, Colorado, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are the contenders that need help to move up.

Then in the fourth quarter, trailing 17-14, the Ohio State offense put together back-to-back drives that went deep into MI territory.

After a insane week that included five top-10 losses, few saw coming what happened in the College Football atmosphere today, especially in the Big Ten. “I was bitterly disappointed with the officiating”. That’s the cleanest scenario for the playoff selection committee with four teams finishing with one loss or fewer while every other power conference team has at least two losses.

At College Park, Md., Ty Johnson ran for 168 yards, Teldrick Morgan returned a punt 83 yards for a score and Maryland finally became bowl eligible by beating Rutgers 31-13 Saturday.

MI quarterback Wilton Speight returned after missing last weekend’s game because of a left shoulder injury.

Penn State: With injuries mounting, Penn State appeared destined for another ho-hum season at best after a Week 4 loss to MI dropped the Nittany Lions to 2-2. Maybe in a playoff game on New Years Eve? Despite limited yardage output during the Michigan State game, Barley did have an early TD.